


Path, trek, whatever you call it

by Elyssian



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Other, jim grows up with pike au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-17
Updated: 2010-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:26:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28132389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elyssian/pseuds/Elyssian
Summary: Jim sometimes gets called Jim Pike.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Path, trek, whatever you call it

They shut her up after five years. Her protests and insinuations, all the evidence she spat at them about the biggest, baddest Romulan ship they've ever seen and why they should pissing their pants- all stomped down when some pretentious admiral gives and signs a paper that sends her up to space and will keep her there for twenty years. Never mind that she's got two kids, Jim barely five and Sam's just thirteen, never mind that she's a widow who's lost her love in the worst possible way- if she's standing in the way of their smooth path, Starfleet will do their damnedest to mow her down. Chris is just surprised it took them so long.

Winona has a friend named Frank. Frank Hallie went to school with her and George. A decent guy, but very average. Also, he doesn't look Winona in the eye when he talks to her. He looks down. Chris knows that she's looking for someone to take care of Jim since her parents and George's parents really only have enough for Sam (despite their false assurances that they can take both) and she's been eying Frank but Chris will shoot Winona if she leaves Jim with Frank Hallie. He tells her as much.

“Kirk, Hallie's a piece of shit. If you leave your youngest son with him I will shoot you, I swear to god.”

Winona appraises him over the set of shot glasses. The patrons near their booth try to discreetly scoot away, because this bar's chocked full of Starfleet officers and any Starfleet officer with at least two brain cells to rub knows Kirk and her infamous rage quits. Several recognise Chris and- did that guy just start praying? Chris knows he's not that fucked.

_Is he?_

Carefully, with his momentary rage quieted and a more sane voice in his head, he looks at Winona in the eye.

She's smirking.

At that moment the only thing Christopher Pike managed to process was, _fuck. I'm fucked. I'm about to get screwed over- did I remember to tell Number One-_

“Okay then. You take him.”

Chris's mind stutters and stops computing.

“What?”

“You're offering to take Jim right?”

“Wait what?”

Winona leaves Chris gaping at the booth, downing one last shot before walking out.

“I'll drop him at your place before I leave.”

“Winona!”

* * *

True to her word, Jim is on the porch of his Starfleet assigned house (he's gone far from his days on the Kelvin) with three suitcases larger than him and Winona drives off waving.

Chris walks out, looks down at a miniature version of George (he was great guy dammit) and holds out a hand.

“Hey. I'm Christopher Pike.”

The boy looks up at him with George's shocking blue (sapphires framed by gold) and grabs a finger.

“Jim.”

Chris grabs two of the cases and motions to towards the door. Jim pushed the last suitcase after him.

“Let's get you settled okay?”

* * *

Chris waits till Jim's suitcases are away in one of two spare rooms and sets him down with a plate of replicated lasagna before comming Number One.

“Hey, Prime, do you know how to take care of kids?”

Number one blinks once at the use of another new nickname and again at the question.

“Chris. Over the past week you have downloaded twenty different parenting manuals and reading material of similar content. Assuming that you now have adequate knowledge of how to secure a child's basic needs is expected.”

Chris waves his hands around, useless gestures since she can't exactly see him.

“But this a real kid. Life goes beyond books- yes I am throwing your words back at you. What if I fuck up and-”

Number One waits patiently as hysteria creeps into his voice.

“-and he dies or gets upset or runs away- fuck what if he dies because I was being shitty-”

“Christopher.”

Number One waits for his breath to even out before she continues.

“You are the most emotional person I know. You'll be fine.”

“You barely know anyone! That's not reassuring Uno.”

“I estimate my time of arrival to be 1306. Hold your ground till I get there.”

Number One hangs up and Chris wrings his hands before walking out of the bathroom to a curious Jim.

* * *

“You're gonna be okay.”

Chris is already failing. Shouldn't it be him reassuring the kid?

“What makes you say that?”

“You panicked. That means you care and Sam said that's what matters.”

Jim goes back to spooning his food and Chris decides to replicate something to fill up the silence.

* * *

Jim gets along with Number One like a house one fire. He likes confusing her with literary devices and aphorisms from the 21st century or further back, outdated and out of context but still holding their humour in each careful word. Sometimes Chris double takes and has to check if he accidentally put a pint sized millennial in his house.

Number One enjoys herself way too much, taking in Jim's brightness and the complex old pop references as a challenge. It's like the time Chris got her a super rubrics cube, only she didn't solve Jim in sixteen seconds. She never really solves the never ending puzzle of James Tiberius Kirk, but she starts getting pieces like the time she left for bed (because she stopped leaving Chris's house after six months of Jim) after Jim's eleventh birthday party and tells him,

“May the force be with you.”

Chris resists the urge to swear because he still hasn't learnt the quotes and _where the hell did that one come from_ , because Jim just lights up and smiles. Chris is here for that so if it makes the kid happy, it stays.

* * *

Jim flies by his teen years, growing out faster than Chris can blink. Soon enough, Chris's got half a head's shock of white and Jim's eyes meet his brows.

“You see this Jim? All you.”

Chris points at the white eating at his hair and Jim tries not to laugh over his shot glass.

“I'm pretty sure half of that is from Number One.”

Chris shakes his head.

“Nope. All you kid. I'm getting old Jim, so why don't you give this old man some time to be old and sucker the academy?”

“You? Old?” Jim laughs. “Who are you and what have you done to Christopher Pike?”

“Very funny Jim. Now before I let you distract me- Starfleet. How about it?”

This is the conversation Chris dragged him to a bar for because getting a straight answer from Jim takes at least five shots of whatever he hasn't built up a resistance of. (Jim's a walking wonder, Chris swears on his stripes.)

“Eh.”

“Eh? That's it?”

Jim swirls his glass, pausing to weigh and contemplate telling Chris he's really not interested. Jim's rarely interested in anything, because the kid is a master at envision possible scenarios and how much they'd suck for him. Or how boring it would be. Or maybe he still hasn't gotten over his last genius idea. (Tarsus was disaster.)

Well Chris's gotta perk up the kid someway or another.

“There's going to be Vulcan this year. The ambassador's son. Gonna be a new one for the academy.”

“I know what you're doing.” Jim squints at him. “You're baiting me.”

Chris chuckles and fishes around his pockets for credits.

“And you're still going to bite.”

* * *

Yup, by noon the next day Jim's name is on a roster.


End file.
